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“Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. Psalm: I rejoiced when they said to me: ‘We shall go into God’s House!’ ”

— Introit of the Laetare Sunday Mass from the Tridentine Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) and the Entrance Antiphon in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite

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Time never stops or slows down, and while it seems like it was only yesterday that it was Ash Wednesday, we have reached the halfway point in Lent. Three weeks from today is Easter Sunday on April 1 for most Christians. Those who are Eastern Orthodox will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ the following Sunday on April 8.

There will be some differences seen in some churches just for today. In Roman Catholic, Polish National Catholic and other churches, the liturgical vestments change from the Lenten penitential colors of purple/violet to the more joyful rose on this day called Laetare Sunday.

Laetare means “rejoice” (the first word in the introit/entrance antiphon). Today is a mid-Lent break and is also called “Refreshment Sunday.” In Advent, we encounter another similar “Refreshment Sunday” on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent). Again, the vestments change from purple to rose and then back to purple the following Sunday.

Today is also called “Rose Sunday,” obviously for the vestment colors, but also because popes used to send a golden rose to Catholic sovereigns. Another name is “Mothering Sunday,” partly because of a tradition by Catholics to visit the mother church of their diocese, along with the day when servants were allowed to take the day off to visit with their mothers. How nice!!!

“Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life.”

— Pope Benedict XVI

Lent can be a time when we give up things, do something for others, pray more. The idea is “Pray! Fast! Give!” Going into Lent can be like entering a new year. Resolutions are made, and then it becomes whether they’re followed through. Pope Benedict’s words teach of the need to learn about ourselves — our true selves. Our honest selves, which can only be evaluated in God’s eyes.

God loves us, and there is no question about that, but the big question is whether He is pleased with us. Takes a lot of self-reflection on that one. It’s easy to think good of ourselves, but it also takes honesty for those not-so-good aspects of ourselves. I think that’s a good thing. That takes humility. Sometimes a lot of humility. Realizing you are not the greatest is a good first step, especially in a world where “Me! Me! Me!” is the modern-day mantra to a generation of people of entitlement, many who seem to take “I am the way, the truth and life” very, very personally and seriously and wrongfully.

Today’s second reading in the Liturgy of the Hours’ Office of Readings comes from a treatise on the Gospel of St. John by my favorite saint, St. Augustine of Hippo. The topic is that Christ is the way to the light, the truth and the life. Here goes:

The Lord tells us: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In these few words he gives a command and makes a promise. Let us do what he commands so that we may not blush to covet what he promises and to hear him say on the day of judgment: “I laid down certain conditions for obtaining my promises. Have you fulfilled them?” If you say: “What did you command, Lord our God?” he will tell you: “I commanded you to follow me. You asked for advice on how to enter into life. What life, if not the life about which it is written: With you is the fountain of life?”

Let us do now what he commands. Let us follow in the footsteps of the Lord. Let us throw off the chains that prevent us from following him. Who can throw off these shackles without the aid of the one addressed in these words: You have broken my chains? Another psalm says of him: “The Lord frees those in chains, the Lord raises up the downcast.”

Those who have been freed and raised up follow the light. The light they follow speaks to them: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness.” The Lord gives light to the blind. Brethren, that light shines on us now, for we have had our eyes anointed with the eye-salve of faith. His saliva was mixed with earth to anoint the man born blind. We are of Adam’s stock, blind from our birth; we need him to give us light. He mixed saliva with earth, and so it was prophesied: “Truth has sprung up from the earth. He himself has said: I am the way, the truth and the life.”

We shall be in possession of the truth when we see face to face. This is his promise to us. Who would dare to hope for something that God in his goodness did not choose to promise or bestow?

We shall see face to face. The Apostle said: “Now I know in part, now obscurely through a mirror, but then face to face.” John the apostle said in one of his letters: “Dearly beloved, we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We know that when he is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” This is a great promise.

If you love me, follow me. “I do love you,” you protest, “but how do I follow you?” If the Lord your God said to you: “I am the truth and the life,” in your desire for truth, in your love for life, you would certainly ask him to show you the way to reach them. You would say to yourself: “Truth is a great reality, life is a great reality; if only it were possible for my soul to find them!”

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Today starts daylight-saving time. Hope you moved your clocks forward an hour. You know that “Spring forward, fall back” thing. If you didn’t, then you’re an hour late and I’ve been waiting 60 minutes for you to read this. Don’t let it happen again.

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“As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst…He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.”

— St. Teresa of Calcutta

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“Everyone talks about it, everyone wants it, but few ever stop to penetrate its meaning. Actually, there are two kinds of freedom: one is freedom from something, the other is freedom for something. One is freedom of choice, which enables us to choose between good and evil: the other is the higher freedom which rests in attainment of truth and goodness.”

Mildred, the church gossip and self-appointed arbiter of the church’s morals, kept sticking her nose in the other members’ private lives. Church members were unappreciative of her activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon.

She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He didn’t explain, defend or deny; he said nothing.

Later that evening, George quietly parked his old pickup in front of Mildred’s house — and left it there all night.

“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.”

— Leviticus 19:16

(Staff writer Usalis can be reached at jusalis@republicanherald.com)

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